The Fuuinjutsu Prodigy
by If I Died Today
Summary: After getting lectured by Iruka for not paying attention in class, Naruto becomes interested in Fuuinjutsu, and almost immediately becomes a prodigy. As his ability in Fuuinjutsu grows and he becomes more powerful, it makes some question what he has up his sleeves. With his past, they wonder if he really is loyal to Konoha, or if it's another mask.


The Fuuinjutsu Prodigy – _Reboot_

a.n. – Just thought I'd be nice and give you chapter 1 early. You're welcome.

1

Naruto yawns, stretching, testing his limbs. He thinks he has a slightly bruised rib. 'Add that to the black eye and I'm still better off than the other guy.' Naruto thought, smirking a bit at that thought. 'Or guys, I should say. Jus' 'cause that one ugly kid couldn't beat me don't mean they should all gang up on me. Sore losers… well, sitting here isn't gonna help.' Naruto sat up, but then fell back down with a sharp intake of breath after hitting a wall of pain. 'Maybe a lil' more than _slightly _bruised.' Naruto thought through ragged breaths. He waited a minute or so letting his breath calm, before trying to sit up again. He let out a grunt. 'Maybe I should go see a doctor?' He wondered aloud, before giggling.

The old man had just about banned him from hospitals after catching a nurse putting poison in his IV. He frowned a little, thinking of the drunken mob that had sent him there in the first place. It's not like it didn't usually happen, they were just a particularly nasty group. He nearly cringed at the thought of that crowbar. It also wasn't the first killer doctor he had faced. The Hokage told him he was lucky to have his endurance and knack for healing, or he would probably be in the hospital a lot longer. Naruto didn't think he was that lucky. He tried telling the old man about the orange-red bubbles that sometimes came over his cuts, but he had shushed him. And that was only a week after the old man had told him not to interrupt people. 'The old man is pretty weird, though.'

Naruto stood, testing his legs. When they didn't wobble or threaten to cave he smiled. He looked around, eliciting a frown as he saw a rat crawl into a hole in his wall. 'If they're around much longer I may have to start naming 'em.' He assumed they'd be gone soon, since he usually didn't even have enough food to feed himself, but they had yet too. They'd been at his apartment ever since he moved in. The place had been an absolute trash heap. It was much cleaner now. He took a look around his mostly bare room. It was small and clean, but not overly neat. There was a dresser by his bed (a futon; he had never slept in a real bed before, the closest he had gotten was the hospital). It had four drawers, easily enough to hold all of his clothes. He had a lamp on top of the drawer, but seeing how electricity barely worked, he sometimes wondered why he had it. He also wondered why the electricity would shut off in his room but still be working for the rest of the apartment building. He usually just shrugged that thought off. It was _normal_. There were two windows in this room, but they were both busted. It wasn't the first time. The Hokage had paid for them to be fixed, but they were just busted again, so Naruto didn't bother him over it. He guessed that was _normal_,too.

Naruto went into the next room, his kitchen. Most of the cabinets were kicked in, some even broken off the hinges. He didn't use most of them, anyways. He was glad his minifridge remained untouched for the most part. Without it he would have to have warm milk. And it was also a present from the old man. He smiled. The old man was weird, but he loved him all the same. He checked the cabinet his ramen was usually in, hoping there was some in there, knowing there wasn't.

The cabinet was blank. He groaned as he heard his stomach growl. He knew this meant no breakfast, and most likely no lunch. 'Maybe the old man could treat me to dinner?' He definitely wouldn't ask, knowing that the old man was already giving him grocery money for the month. He glanced back at the empty cabinet. The old man usually gave him plenty of money. 'If those stores didn't charge me double and triple for everything, then maybe I may be able to get through a month.' He sighed.

He walked back to his room, grabbing a pair of boxers from his dresser, before going through the other door connected to his room. This door leads him to his bathroom. He was glad to have his own shower, and he didn't mean to sound selfish, but back when he was in the orphanage he had hoped for a… better one.

He turned the shower on after shutting the door and undressing. He stepped in, hissing at the shock of freezing water. He grabbed his bottle of shampoo after getting used to the water and poured the rest in his hand. It was just enough to wash his hair. He lathered it through his hair, enjoying the feel of his soft golden-yellow locks of hair. He let the water rinse the shampoo from his hair. As he reached for the soap, the water stopped. 'Crap. I was actually enjoying that shower…' He thought, even as he felt the air rush over his already too cold skin. He tried the water a few more times before giving up and leaving the shower. 'A working shower would've been nice, actually..'

He dried off before putting on his boxers and stepping back into his room. He grabbed a pair of pants from his drawer. Seeing that there was no clean shirt in his drawer he sighed, before going to find a dirty one. He was beginning to think he was going to be sighing for the rest of his life.

He had been living like this for a year or so. He used to live in a child's home, but last year he had been kicked out. It was right before he had begun the preacademy. The preacademy began two years before the academy and basically prepared children for the academy. Ninja children didn't have to go, but most without clans did, because they had no other ways of tutelage.

Naruto had been one of those kids. The Hokage hadn't known Naruto had been kicked out until nearly two weeks after it happened. Naruto had nearly starved. The Hokage had been outraged. The orphanage-lady had said since Naruto was going to be a ninja Naruto didn't have to be cared for there. The Hokage had argued, but his hands were tied. There simply were no ninja orphanages, because most ninja children either had relatives, or weren't… well… Naruto. Most civilian orphanages didn't mind ninja children.

Naruto, as always, was a different case.

-Later that day-

Naruto remembered the first time he visited the old man at work. He had been in awe of the Hokage residence. The vibrant red, the wooden paneling… it all complemented the village. The kanji _"fire"_ on the front. The building truly is the cornerstone of Konoha. He had also remembered the receptionist giving him a cold glare. Now she didn't even have the chance. He made it a game of figuring out different ways to sneak by the old lady. He chuckled as he walked up to the Hokage's door. He didn't bother knocking. "Sup old man!" Naruto announced with a giant grin.

"Hello Naruto. I was wondering when you'd show. I've got your grocery money right here. Spend it well." The Hokage said, genuinely happy to see Naruto. Naruto grabbed the envelope with a quick thank you. "Oh, and before I forget, today will be Crow-san's last day watching over you. I just thought you'd want to know.

At this Naruto pouted. "Really? But he actually… you know…"

"I'm sorry. I'll try to find someone who stays on the job as well as Crow does, but he has a very important mission to take care of." At this the Hokage looked down at his desk. There was a deep brown folder. He had already read the paperwork over and over. All it needed was a signature, and a thousand lives would be saved. But doing so would condemn Konoha's greatest clan. And the boy… Naruto snapped him out of his spell.

"I understand." Naruto stated abruptly, sitting down in the chair in front of his desk. The Hokage sighed and was about to try and cheer up the boy whenever Naruto spoke up again. Naruto slammed his palms on his thighs. After a pause, he stood u, nearly knocking over his chair. "You just wait old man! One day I'll be wearing that hat, and everyone will love me! I won't need anybody to follow me, protecting me. Just wait!" Naruto finished, crossing his arms.

The Hokage smiled as he stood and began walking around the table. He looked down at the child he thought of as a grandson. He slowly and deliberately took the hat off his head, placing it on the head of the other. He knew why the boy had these random outbursts. No one, not even the Hokage (though he had desperately tried), had shown the boy the attention he yearned for. The boy was tired of getting hurt, not physically, but emotionally. He smiled at the boy, a kind, but sad smile. "Here's your hat Naruto." He paused. "This doesn't… this will never make them love you…" He let the boy ponder that for a moment. Naruto was looking down at the ground, not meeting his eyes. He continued, crouching to the boy's level. "What will make them love you… respect you, will be… you. They'll acknowledge you long before you wear this." He finished, gesturing to his hat. Naruto looked up, smiling.

"You always know what to say old man. People should call you like… the professor or something." Naruto said, causing the Hokage to facepalm. The Hokage slowly stood. He quickly took the hat off Naruto's head and scurried around the desk.

"But you still can't keep the hat."

"You know me well old man! You know me well." Naruto said. "I should get going, it's already dark. I'll see you sometime this week!" Naruto finished, running out the door.

'That boy is… something else.'

-outside-

Naruto loved the feeling of the cool air on his face as he walked outside. He didn't mind getting lost in his thoughts at night. He frowned when his stomach growled. He hadn't eaten today, and there was no chance he could go shopping now. He frowned. He continued walking through the streets, trying to get home as quickly as possible. He took a back alley, and about halfway down regretted it. He looked up to see a silhouette blocking his path. He turned around to find that way blocked, too. His frown deepened. A few more people dropped from the roofs. 'Ninja?!' Naruto felt fear clawing up his stomach. He tried to swallow it down, but it didn't work. He backed away, until he realized there was nowhere to run. 'If flight's not an option… I guess I'll have to fight.' Naruto dropped into a stance.

"Ha. Little demon gonna fight us? _GOOD LUCK_!" The man started laughing before pulling out a giant shuriken. His white hair stood out in the night, as did the whites of his eyes. He pulled back his arm, readying a throw. 'Maybe if I time this right I can dodge it… or rather, avoid getting split in half by it.'

Just as he moved his arm forward to throw a shadow came down, nearly unseen. Naruto ducked anyways, just as the shuriken went flying over his head, with the arm still attached to it. That's when Naruto heard the scream, as the white-haired man dropped to the ground in pain. He heard another man scream behind him as the shuriken imbedded itself in his chest. Naruto quickly looked around, finding his savior. He was currently dispatching a bigger-looking chuunin who was near the back. Another chuunin was behind him with a kunai. Naruto ran forward, kicking hard at the man's left ankle. The man let out a scream as he fell, causing Naruto's savior, an anbu, to turn in surprise. Or at least Naruto thought it was surprise, he couldn't tell. The anbu had already finished the man behind him, so he swiftly knocked out the man now on the ground.

The other ninja were already running.

The anbu was about to jump away, most likely to catch the other men, when he sensed someone about to attack him from behind. He immediately turned, catching both of Naruto's wrists in his hands. Naruto snatched away one of his hands to punch the man in the stomach. "You're leaving?! I trusted you Crow!" Crow studied Naruto's face, finding betrayal under the more obvious rage shown on his face. Crow let Naruto land the punch. Nothing his stomach couldn't take. "You're leaving me with those other mask people. You know they never do thier jobs! They think of me as a demon, too." Naruto said, his arms drooping in the man's grasp.

Crow took off his mask. He shouldn't have to do this. He's an anbu. He shouldn't have to comfort children. But noting the mission he would have to complete in a few weeks, he didn't mind a more light-hearted mission today. "Hey…" He started lifting Naruto's chin. Naruto was trying his best to hold back tears. "…it's not like I want to do this mission. I have too. I'll have to leave home, and I won't be able to come back for a long time… maybe never. It isn't you, I promise. From what I've seen, you're a good kid." 'These villagers don't know what they're doing at all… if only his father was still alive. He always knew what to do…' "Here, I want you to have something." He reached into his bag, and grabbed a book. "I was planning on taking it with me, but I want you to have it." Naruto grabbed the book.

"The Art of Fuuinjutsu?"

"Yeah. Study it. Grow stronger, for me. So no one else will need to protect you."

"Okay… I can do that." Naruto stayed silent for a moment. "You're an Uchiha, right? I can tell by your eyes. Why aren't you all… Uchiha-ish?"

Crow nearly smiled. Nearly. "I don't think I can answer that."

"Can you at least tell me your name?" Naruto asked as Crow walked away.

"… Itachi Uchiha." He said, jumping away. 'If Sasuke befriends that kid, he's sure to get stronger. Naruto has unbelievable potential. I guess Minato-kun was right. The future generations will always surpass the past ones. And sometimes I guess the current generation needs to be moved aside, before they destroy the world for the younger one. Right, _father_?'


End file.
